Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, (he's a step above Peter Moore, and is the head of the "tri-force" [wink wink] that brought together the Xbox and 360), recently made this statement on being questioned about the undisputed success of the Wii
"I'm actually not–the product has gotten more broad-base acclaim that I would have expected. It's a very nice product, but it actually has a relatively specific audience and a fairly specific appeal, frankly, based on one feature, which is the controller itself. And the rest of the product is actually not a great product–no disrespect, but…the video graphics on it aren't very strong; the box itself is kind of underpowered; it doesn't play DVDs; there are a lot of down-line components that aren't actually that interesting"
Microsoft is tackling Xbox Cloud Gaming latency with real testing and tech upgrades—here’s what’s working, and why it matters.
Speaking as someone who uses xcloud, i havent really noticed much lag, if at all. I have used the service on a wide variety of devices. A VCR XBO, a One X, the logitech GCloud, steamdeck and my work PC. in all cases it just works and works really well. I was not interested at first in the idea of streaming a game, but then i really started using it as a way to gauge interest if a game is worth my time of downloading/installing and I just cant help but jump into new titles when they drop. I used to do the same with new releases on netflix so i can see why they make that similar proclimation.
With Remote Play, the lag can be almost complete nonexistent too. My TV and Receiver glitched up really bad a few weeks ago and my Xbox wouldn't output through 4K 120hz for a few weird hours of power cycling these stupid devices, so I got to test this out while my Xbox just refused to output video through hdmi.
With a Backbone on my phone, and a controller connected to the console (hardwired into the modem through an Ethernet switch; my phone is connected to a Router that the modem routes to - so there is that extra network layer), I could not notice any difference. Avowed was set to the Balanced mode, maybe Performance would've exposed a lag with the extra frames but the response on my phone screen looked near exact from stick push to game response.
Cloud Gaming, playing something like South of Midnight feels responsive enough to me, and games like Pentiment you really really can't tell, and if you could, that's a game where lag would be inconsequential to the experience
I live in a city that has an Xbox Cloud server, and my local network uses Wi-Fi 6. I've used the service for quite a while. I can't really say I don't feel the latency. Some titles are completely unplayable for me, like Forza Horizon 5. But there are also many games where I barely notice it, such as A Crab's Treasure and Halo MCC.
Honestly, it's great that they're working on making it better. But the way it works right now is already pretty usable, and casual gamers, who I assume are the target audience, probably won't even notice the latency. The issue then becomes more of a commercial or marketing one, because casual gamers are either on mobile or console, and they probably don't even know Xbox Cloud exists, how much it costs, or how it works.
It also doesn't help that some of the most popular casual games aren't available on it at launch. Sports games from EA, for example, are always a couple of months late.
Xbox Cloud Gaming usage data shared at GDC 2025 shows where people are streaming most—and you might be surprised.
I get there are those who have no interest in streaming... I didn't at first, but then I got to testing out various games on different devices. I can't use my phone, screen is to small. I have used a 2013 VCR XBO to stream flight sim and it played surprisingly well. I also use a Logitech G-Cloud which is made specifically for streaming XB games as well as Nvidia Shield stuff. and that is what i primarily use now. I also have been using my living room One X to stream indiana jones and south of midnight. Both of which play great with little to no lag. then again i am using 1gb internet on a mesh network with the consoles wired in.
I never thought Id say this but... I really like the convenience of xcloud and PS+ premium and using the portal to play directly from the cloud as well. I get it, I get it... I will get major downvotes but this is my setup and my choice to do so. Everyone has the opportunity to do it themselves so you dont have to take my word for it.
It works for me.
I have to agree. It was a better experience than i expected it to be. I never want it to be the only option though, i prefer to play "the old way" . I dont want to be forced to stream my games of choice but as an extra option on the go its really good..
Experience the full KOTOR 2 story on Xbox with the complete Sith Lords Restored Content Mod. Restored missions, fixes, and more now playable!
The lackluster of the Wii in the graphics and processing department has been the favorite attacking ground for the opposition - or is it the only attacking ground they have?
They don’t have the graphics Horsepower that even Xbox 1 had. - Hey he just lost all credibility with that one folks!
Plus it's his job to look down on the competition so it's hardly an unbiased look at the Wii. Like one of the posts on the link said. PS3 and 360 are looking to far ahead. It takes way to long for a game to come out and their resorces are streched out so far just to make it. While the Wii is in the here and now. It's very easy to make a game on the Wii and very cost effective.
@gta_Cb
over 5 years from now technology like "cell" will cost way cheaper.
now if Nintendo makes their new console slightly better then the 360 and PS3, i dont think anyone should complain, the power 360 and Ps3 are able to achieve are amazing.
and of course the console will cost between 200 and 250. like always.
"the other hand The Godfather on the Xbox looks miles better than the Wii edition, why are there such discrepancies in the games being developed."
Scarface looks best on the wii, maybe developers just have to learn the system.
I'll save everyone from a long winded discussion, lets just say that this comparison was poorly done/written.
"Well, the verdict is that the Wii has more processing speed than the original Xbox"
"A Wii is technically 1.75 faster than a GameCube."
Thats all you need to know. If a game looks bad on the Wii, it is because someone didnt put the time into it that they should have. End of story.
Besides, if you're "porting" a game over using a "converter", the converter might not be perfect, lets say it reproduces everything, but it is only 95% efficient(Just look at the difference when you write HTML by hand/with frontpage for example). That means that EVERY game that is ported from, say, XBox will look 95% as good unless you update the graphics.
Try porting Super Mario Galaxy to the XBox and see how good it looks.
you just gatta give the WII a year or 2.. when some good games will be available..
I mean when the PS2 came out i had a PS1 and i coulda swore that some PS1 games looked better then the first batch of PS2 games..
the so right now we're getting bad ports and RED STEEL was pretty rushed in my eyes cause there were some obvious glitches to be found while playing (and i finished it)
so bash away but NINTENDO is the only company thats in the black..
"HAHAHA IT PRINTS MONEY"
Well, what did you expect people? He isn't going to go out and say "Holy mother of Jesus, that thing is friggin' awesome, buy my competitor's product instead of mine."
He's not after friendship points, he's after cash. Microsoft isn't a charity. Even in the face of sales that completely shatter all expectations, he still has to say that it targets a specific audience.